Romanucci & Blandin and Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge announce $13 million civil settlement for exonerated inmate Herman Williams

CHICAGO (December 12, 2025) – After nearly 29 years wrongly incarcerated for the murder of his ex-wife, Herman Williams has now received an important measure of accountability – civil justice through a $13 million settlement – a result that was achieved just two years after filing his case. In 1993, Herman was wrongfully convicted for the murder of his former wife in Lake County, Illinois. Herman’s wrongful conviction was the result of a fabricated confession, manufactured and concealed evidence, and false testimony by law enforcement, public servants who had abandoned their professional and ethical obligations in order to close the case and advance their careers. Herman spent nearly 29 years incarcerated and proved his innocence in 2022, when he was granted a Certificate of Innocence.

Case Background  

In 1993, Herman Williams and his former wife, Penny Williams, shared two young children, 6-year-old Charlie and 3-year-old Crystal. Herman, at age 29, was a decorated member of the U.S. Navy who had served two tours in the Gulf War and was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Base in Lake County, Illinois. While Herman had remarried his second wife, Kitty, he and Penny maintained a strong, platonic relationship despite their divorce and were committed to the well-being of their children.

The State’s theory at trial was that Herman murdered Penny on the evening of Wednesday, September 22, 1993, likely sometime between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. This was false.

Specifically, on Wednesday evening, Herman and Penny left their apartment around 7:45 p.m. and went shopping while their neighbor watched their children. Herman and Penny returned to their neighbor’s later that evening, picked up the children, and returned to their apartment. Witnesses confirmed these facts.

The following morning, Penny was still alive and well when Herman left their apartment about 6:45 a.m. to shuttle the children to school and babysitters before reporting to work at the Naval base. When Herman returned from the Naval base that afternoon, Penny was gone. After Penny had not returned after several hours, Herman called the Gurnee Police that night to express his concern and report her missing, but was told he needed to wait until more time had passed before he could do so.

On Friday morning, Penny’s purse was turned into the Naval base after being found in the trash at a Park City, Illinois, car wash. An investigation was initiated, with the Great Lakes Major Crimes Task Force (the “Task Force”) leading the investigation. Two days later, on Sunday, September 26, 1993, Penny’s body was found in a shallow pond near Midlane Country Club in Waukegan, Illinois.

The Lake County Major Crimes Task Force had tunnel vision and focused solely on Herman Williams as the suspect in Penny’s murder. As alleged in Herman’s civil lawsuit, the misconduct of members of the Task Force, as well as Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Mermel and medical examiner Nancy Jones, caused Herman’s wrongful conviction. Among other bad acts, Sgt. Lou Tessmann manufactured a confession that Herman never gave. Furthermore, Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Mermel, with the assistance of other Task Force officers, manufactured evidence that Penny’s purse was found in a dumpster near Herman’s second wife’s apartment, not at the car wash, as was originally reported when the purse was turned in to authorities.

ASA Mermel and medical examiner Nancy Jones fabricated a time-of-death opinion that Penny Williams was killed between 8 and 9 p.m. on Wednesday evening. All the while, both Mermel and Jones concealed the opinion Dr. Jones had previously given, which was that the death could have occurred much later into Thursday and Friday, when Herman’s whereabouts were accounted for. On re-examination of the forensic evidence years later, experts for both the State and Herman would demonstrate that Jones’ revised opinion was scientifically unsupportable.

Despite his insistence that he was innocent, Herman was convicted of Penny’s murder on the strength of the fabricated and concealed evidence above. Years later, Herman demonstrated his innocence in several ways. First, it was learned that Sgt. Tessman repeatedly fabricated confessions in other cases. To date, his behavior has resulted in three exonerations in addition to Herman Williams, leading the State’s Attorney’s Office to concede in 2022 that Tessmann had a pattern of fabricating evidence. Further, ASA Michael Mermel was forced to resign from the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office in 2011 due to behavior unbecoming of a law enforcement officer.

Finally, after nearly 29 years in prison, forensic re-examination and new testing of DNA evidence helped to establish Herman’s innocence. The Lake County State’s Attorney agreed to vacate his conviction in September 2022, acknowledging the serial misconduct by Lake County, Illinois, law enforcement as well as the falsity of the junk science used against Herman at trial. Although a step in the right direction, his exoneration can never give back the decades he spent in prison, nor the opportunity to raise his two children, who grew up with a wrongfully incarcerated father and the belief that he had murdered their mother. 

Romanucci & Blandin Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci and Senior Attorney Sam A. Harton, together with Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge Founding Partners Brian Eldridge and Steven A. Hart, Partner John Marrese, Associate Paige Smith, and Paralegal Morgan Forbes, represented Herman. The Illinois Innocence Project was also integral in Herman’s release from prison and his fight to clear his name. Attorney Patrick J. Driscoll also contributed to this case and its resolution.

The lawsuit was filed on August 23, 2023, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

“After his wrongful conviction in 1994, the damages Herman sustained as a result of the defendants’ misconduct are unspeakable. Not only did he lose more than 28 years of his life and suffer in prison as an innocent man, but his two children, who were only six and three years old at the time of Penny’s murder, grew up without either of their parents, and worse, under the mistaken belief that their father murdered their mother. Since Herman was exonerated, he has reconciled with his children and is fighting every day to restore his life and his relationships. Our legal team is proud to have helped Herman continue to restore his good reputation and his life,” said Romanucci & Blandin Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci.

“Herman’s case was truly a travesty of justice, not only because Herman and his children suffered immeasurably, but because Penny Williams’ murder remains unsolved. We are pleased to have resolved this case only two years after filing suit, which is very quick compared to other wrongful conviction cases. While Herman can never get back the years he spent in prison as an innocent man, we hope this settlement will help him close this painful chapter in his life and find peace in the years ahead,” said Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge Founding Partner Brian Eldridge.

“This is the last chapter in Herman’s legal battle to rectify his wrongful conviction and prove his innocence. He fought for decades to win his freedom from prison, obtain a certificate of innocence from the very court in which he was convicted, and now, to secure this $13 million settlement with the law enforcement agencies that convicted him. Herman’s story is one of incredible perseverance,” said Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge Partner John Marrese.

About Romanucci & Blandin, LLC

Romanucci & Blandin is a Chicago-based national trial practice committed to fighting for victims of negligence, abuse and wrongful death. For 25 years, we have secured more than $1 billion in verdicts and settlements for our clients - many for millions of dollars and others record-setting awards. Our experience ranges from mass shootings, civil rights and police misconduct to medical malpractice, sexual abuse, motor vehicle accidents or workplace injury cases involving individual or institutional negligence. Romanucci & Blandin is a valuable legal resource to individuals and groups of people who have been injured by others’ wrongdoing. Referring attorneys and clients say several factors differentiate our firm: Our record of success, depth of experience, talented and dedicated legal team, tireless preparation and strategic use of communications to fight for the rights of those whose lives have been changed forever. We are different from other personal injury firms in that our work does not stop when a verdict or settlement is secured.  We are often inspired by our clients’ experiences and commit resources to create change in our communities. For more information about Romanucci & Blandin, please visit https://www.rblaw.net/ or call (312) 458-1000.

About Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge

Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge, LLC (“HME”) is a firm of trial lawyers specializing in civil rights, mass tort, and class action cases. The attorneys at HME practice on a nationwide basis in both federal and state courts and are actively involved in some of the largest and most significant cases in the country. HME attorneys are invested in the fight for justice and consistently take on cases to advance civil justice and equal rights. HME prides itself on winning complex cases, fiercely advocating for its clients, and being a driving force behind civil and social change in Chicago and throughout the country. HME’s civil rights practice includes cases involving wrongful convictions, wrongful shootings, police brutality, and unconstitutional policing.  HME has also successfully challenged police policies through civil rights and class action cases in both Illinois and elsewhere. For more information about Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge, please visit www.hmelegal.com or call (312) 955-0545.